English likes its chances

After starting last season 4-4, the Lynn English boys basketball team had a sit-down meeting to discuss what it wanted out of the year. With only one senior, the young Bulldogs could have mailed it all in heading into the Lynn City Tournament.The team decided on the tough road, however, one which would require it to win a lot more than it lost, before the International Association of Approved Basketball Officials tournament at the end of the season.?We knew after our early struggles that we couldn?t afford to lose much, if at all,” said English coach Mike Carr. “We were going to see some tough competition at the end of the year, so every game mattered for us.”The Bulldogs responded by going 10-1 down the stretch before shocking Springfield Central and then St. John?s Prep to win the tournament.?A bunch of the officials came up to me after the championship game and told me how much we had improved from earlier in the year,” explained Carr. “Winning that tournament gave us a lot of momentum heading into the state tournament.”The Bulldogs would win their first two postseason games, taking care of Haverhill at home before defeating Everett in a thrilling contest. Central Catholic would ultimately get the better of English in the Division 1 North Final.?We made a great run and I think that really lit a fire under the kids heading into the offseason and left them feeling optimistic for this year,” said Carr.The lengthy run in the tournament earned Carr the D1 North Coach of the Year award, presented by the Massachusetts Coaches Association.?Winning really was a testament to the kids and how they figured things out,” said Carr. “It took time for us to jell as a team, but they really thrived off the pressure and I give them all the credit for the award.”This year, the Bulldogs will look to a trio of guards to pick up where they left off at the end of last season. Erick Rosario will run the point, while Fred Hogan and Stevie Collins are likely to score in bunches.?Erick has that extra something you just can?t teach. He is an excellent passer with great vision and brings an element of leadership as well,” said Carr. “Fred is an elite scorer closing in on 1,000 points.”Carr expects big things from Collins as well.?Stevie is the most competitive kid I?ve coached,” he said. “He wills himself to do things and had a few prep schools trying to lure him away, but to his credit he stuck with us.”The Bulldogs will look to the frontcourt tandem of Danny Lukanda and Johnny Hilaire for solid defense and rebounding as well as some offensive contributions.?Danny is a tenacious rebounder who stepped into the starting lineup halfway through last season,” said Carr. “Johnny provides us with a toughness element. He is long and likes to jump up in the play. If he can step up as a big, we are in great shape.”Captain Cam Burke adopted the sixth man role last season and ran with it, according to Carr, who praised the senior for his hard work.?He obviously would have liked some more playing time, but he gave us all he could and had a great summer and fall. He is pushing for a bigger role,” said Carr. “Lucas Harris is another great athlete with an opportunity to grab our attention.”Much of the Bulldogs? success was due to their ability to learn Carr?s offensive system that requires a lot of running and pressing. On defense, Carr likes a lot of ball pressure.?Our offense is hard to pick up but the guys have had a lot of time to figure it out so I?m hoping it won?t be a learning process like last year,” Carr explained. “There is a new emphasis on hand-checking this year that might cause us some problems on defense but we?ll adjust if we have to.”English will open the season with a three-game homestand, the first coming against Salem on Dec. 17 followed by matchups with NEC foes Revere and Beverly.